Science

Judi Lynn

(162,381 posts) Thu Aug 17, 2023, 12:12 AM Aug 2023

A New Study Appears to Stunningly Contradict Newton and Einstein's Theory of Gravity

Our understanding of the universe may be completely wrong.

BY DARREN ORF
PUBLISHED: AUG 14, 2023

MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY//Getty Images

Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, an immensely important update to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, is currently our best approximation of how the universe ticks.

But there are some holes in Einstein's theory, including some gravitational weirdness around low acceleration “wide binary” stars.

A new study claims that the behavior of these slow-moving celestial objects can’t be explained by a Newton-Einstein theory, which relies on dark matter, but could be explained with an idea known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics, or MOND.

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In 1687, English physicist Isaac Newton published his famous Law of Universal Gravitation. The idea that all objects attract in proportion to their mass was a revolutionary idea that became a huge boon for understanding the ways of the universe. But even Newton’s influential work had its limitations—specifically, it couldn’t explain gravitational phenomena such as black holes and gravitational waves. Thankfully, Albert Einstein came around in the early 20th century to help patch things up a bit with his Theory of General Relativity.

But space is a big place, and even Einsteins sometimes meet their limit. One of the most well-known of these limits is a black hole’s center, or singularity, where Einstein’s famous theory appears to break down completely. Now, a new study from scientists at South Korea’s Sejong University suggests that another limit to Newton and Einstein’s conception of gravity can be found in the orbital motions of long-period, widely separated, binary stars—also known simply as “wide binaries.” The results of this study were published this month in The Astrophysical Journal.

More:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a44776417/study-contradicts-newton-einstein-theory-gravity/

10 replies

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A New Study Appears to Stunningly Contradict Newton and Einstein's Theory of Gravity (Original Post) Judi Lynn Aug 2023 OP

KNR and thank you for sharing this fascinating information. niyad Aug 2023 #1

Thank you, niyad. 👋 Judi Lynn Aug 2023 #2

Now I have a headache. SleeplessinSoCal Aug 2023 #3

LOL, me too. But thanks for posting this NT Seiad Aug 2023 #4

Science reporting is littered with hyperbole ... SarcasticSatyr Aug 2023 #5

I'm sticking with Einstein. So to speak. marble falls Aug 2023 #6

I agree SCantiGOP Aug 2023 #10

"Our understanding of the universe may be completely wrong." BWdem4life Aug 2023 #7

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. NNadir Aug 2023 #8

Here's a video with a good basic explanation scipan Aug 2023 #9

niyad

(119,909 posts)

1. KNR and thank you for sharing this fascinating information.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 01:43 AM

Aug 2023

Judi Lynn

(162,381 posts)

2. Thank you, niyad. 👋

Reply to niyad (Reply #1)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 01:52 AM

Aug 2023

SleeplessinSoCal

(9,669 posts)

3. Now I have a headache.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 02:18 AM

Aug 2023

Seiad

(55 posts)

4. LOL, me too. But thanks for posting this NT

Reply to SleeplessinSoCal (Reply #3)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 02:38 AM

Aug 2023

SarcasticSatyr

(1,285 posts)

5. Science reporting is littered with hyperbole ...

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 03:17 AM

Aug 2023

and this article continues that trend. I still remember the reporting of the 47-million-year-old fossil known as Ida that was going to rewrite our understanding of the evolution of humans ... hint, it didn't.

marble falls

(62,052 posts)

6. I'm sticking with Einstein. So to speak.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 06:14 AM

Aug 2023

SCantiGOP

(14,238 posts)

10. I agree

Reply to marble falls (Reply #6)

Sat Aug 19, 2023, 12:27 PM

Aug 2023

Over the past few decades, it seems that every time an experiment has been devised to test one of Einstein’s theoretical predictions, he has been proven correct. He acknowledged there were gaps in his theory and some apparent contradictions, but it is hard to believe that he was coming up with these ideas a hundred years ago.

BWdem4life

(2,466 posts)

7. "Our understanding of the universe may be completely wrong."

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 11:59 AM

Aug 2023

I have to laugh every time I see that line.

NNadir

(34,662 posts)

8. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 01:18 PM

Aug 2023

I generally find that the popular press reporting extraordinary claims in science generally doesn't understand science.

The theory of relativity did not disprove Newton; it extended Newton's laws to to extraordinary circumstances while simultaneously refining and extending, not disproving laws of thermodynamics.

Journalists, now more than ever, value headlines over truth.

scipan

(2,636 posts)

9. Here's a video with a good basic explanation

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Aug 17, 2023, 02:33 PM

Aug 2023

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